The Denver Nuggets are getting rewarded for losing to the Washington Wizards by going on the road and playing one of the hottest teams in the NBA fighting for playoff position on national television.
Let’s delve into the new look Golden State Warriors matchup:
Denver Nuggets @ Golden State Warriors
Projected Starting Lineups
Denver: Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic
Golden State: Stephen Curry, Moses Moody, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Quinten Post
Key Bench Players
Denver: Jalen Pickett, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan
Golden State: Gary Payton II, Buddy Hield, Gui Santos, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney
Notable Injuries
Denver: Nikola Jokic – QUESTIONABLE, Jamal Murray – QUESTIONABLE, Aaron Gordon – QUESTIONABLE, Christian Braun – PROBABLE, Julian Strawther – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT
Golden State: Stephen Curry – QUESTIONABLE, Brandin Podziemski – OUT, Quinten Post – QUESTIONABLE
Key for the Nuggets – Strength in Numbers
The Warriors have more depth than the Nuggets do. Quite simply, they’re in a really good place right now after trading for Jimmy Butler because they’ve surrounded him, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green with capable role players up and down the lineup. Quinten Post is a very solid pick and pop rookie center who’s spacing the floor for those guys. Buddy Hield is still shooting. Gary Payton II is defending. Jonathan Kuminga is the athletic spark plug scorer. They’re getting contributions from everywhere, and the Warriors are 11-1 since the All-Star Break as a result.
Can the Nuggets match up with the overwhelming numbers? Denver’s gassed, but they have very few places to turn with the injuries they’ve sustained and the top heavy nature of their roster. Unless the Nuggets are getting strong contributions from their starters and primary bench guys consistently, it will be hard to keep up with the Warriors.
Important Matchup – Stephen Curry vs Nuggets perimeter defense
Stop Stephen Curry without overcompensating for how good he is and leaving everything else vulnerable defensively. Good luck!
Number of the Day – 61
61 is the number of games Jamal Murray has played this season for the Nuggets. After playing 59 last season, Murray has now exceeded that threshold with 14 games to go and is five games away from playing the most in a single regular season since the 2018-19 season. Yes, some of those years were shortened by COVID, but it’s still good to see Murray play so many games.
Of course, he’s not hurt, having sustained a right ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game vs the Washington Wizards. He probably shouldn’t play tonight for that reason, but if he does, he will be one step closer to cracking 70+ games since his third season in the NBA.
Nugget who should have a good game: Nikola Jokic
After Nikola Jokic speaks candidly following a loss, he generally turns it up and plays pretty well the next time around. I expect that to happen again this time. Jamal Murray is questionable but I don’t expect him to play. If that’s the case, expect a ton of Jokic post ups and pick and rolls with Russell Westbrook to try and set up Jokic in the middle of the floor against a smaller Warriors squad.
